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Battlecruiser
The battlecruiser is a type of terran capital ship employed in the Koprulu Sector. Battlecruisers were employed during the Guild Wars when space engagements were fought by capital ships and medium-sized gunships. The development of anti-capital ship starfighters, such as Wraiths, did not spell the end of battlecruisers. The large warships adapted to carry strike craft which augmented and complemented the combat value of both. Battlecruisers continue to be an integral part of terran space forces as general purpose warshipsRosenberg, Aaron (June 1, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7133-4. and command ships during extended campaigns.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Battlecruisers stem as far back as the early days of the Terran Confederacy in the 24th century and continue to be used in the 26th.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Graven Hill's laptop (in English). 2010. While there are many classes of battlecruisers, all are armed with lasers and protected by neosteel armor.Battlecruiser-StarCraft II. Accessed on 2008-02-12 Gravity accelerators are also found on all battlecruisers.Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-1898-0 (eBook). Battlecruisers use force fields for protection, but because they consume vast amounts of energy, these are only used when a battlecruiser is vulnerable, such as leaving warp space or entering an atmosphere. Otherwise the battlecruiser relies on its heavy armor for protection.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-11-05. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 5. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-11-05. Battlecruisers are frequently referred to as "battleships". Classes Many battlecruiser classes exist. Known classes include: ''Leviathan''-class The Leviathan-class battlecruiser is an uncommon battlecruiser class and although still operating at the dawn of the 26th century, had largely been supplanted by the Behemoth-class variant. The Leviathan-class is capable of traveling through warp space and features ports for transport craft, smaller craft linking into the ship via hydraulics. These ports are located perilously close to the bridge however, making a Leviathan vulnerable to any enemy boarding action.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7. ''Behemoth''-class ]] The Behemoth-class battlecruiser was the most common battlecruiser class and represented the "standard" battlecruiser variant during the Great War. The Behemoth variant is greatly advanced from its Leviathan-class predecessor, featuring the ability to operate within planetary atmospheres and even land on planets.Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5. It also features a total of four docking bays (as opposed to hydraulic entry points) which are equipped with force fields, allowing easy deployment of fighters without fear of decompression2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2008-02-12. and greater resilience to enemy boarding actions.Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7125-3. Like the Leviathan, it is capable of traveling through warp space, even capable of making jumps within a planet's atmosphere.Dustin Browder, Rob Pardo. 2008-10-11. Blizzcon 2008: StarCraft II Gameplay Discussion Panel (Part 3). Youtube.com Accessed 2008-10-11. Behemoth-class armor consists of the standard neosteel, along with energy shields,Rosenberg, Aaron (May 23, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7133-6. while armament consists of multiple burst laser batteries (at least 8 around the ship's 'hammerhead')Dustin Browder, Rob Pardo. 2008-10-11. Blizzcon 2008: StarCraft II Gameplay Discussion Panel (Part 3). Youtube.com Accessed 2008-10-11. http://www.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss125-hires.jpg http://www.starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss126-hires.jpgStarCraft II Official Website Accessed 2009-11-21. and a complement of nuclear warheads.SC1 Battlecruiser. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-02-12 Despite the heavy arsenal, Behemoth armament is slightly constricted in that its laser batteries cannot fire at targets to the side and are vulnerable to interceptors and its warheads are reserved for orbital bombardment rather than space combat. A saving grace for the Behemoth-class exists in the form of the Yamato cannon. One such use of these weapons is that of carrying out a scorched earth policy.Corey Konieczka, Robert A. Kouba, Dan Clark (December 17, 2008). StarCraft: The Board Game: Brood War. Fantasy Flight Games. ASIN 1589945034 However, the cannon's primary weakness is its huge energy requirements and while the installation of a colossus reactor allows for increased energy storage, it is not a long term solution. The Terran Dominion's Behemoth''s required access to physics labs to "power up their weapon systems". Should a fleet commander lose access to these accelerators, an entire ''Behemoth-class fleet can be crippled.StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Assault on Korhal (in English). 1998. Fighters are an integral component to battlecruiser deployment and the Behemoth-class conforms to this, capable of deploying Wraiths and scoutships to engage the enemy. It is also akin to a terran carrier, capable of housing hundreds of soldiers and hardware and maintaining dropships and shuttles for rapid deployment. Searchlights are also featured.StarCraft: Ghost (Battlecruiser) Despite its shortcomings, the Behemoth-class has proven to be an enduring design, keeping up to date with periodic upgrades while its hammerhead design had provided the basis for future classes. Although more advanced classes of battlecruiser have been developed, the Behemoth-class continue to remain in service. ''Hercules''-class The Hercules-class battlecruiser came into service after the . It is largely based on the Behemoth-class, albeit equipped with additional laser batteries for a greater volume of fire. Plasma torpedoes are an optional armament, capable of saturating an area with a lethal deluge of fire, ideal for breaking up oncoming attack waves or ravaging a defensive position. As with the Yamato cannon, a sufficient reserve of energy was needed to unleash a plasma torpedo bombardment. ''Minotaur''-class The Minotaur-class battlecruiser was in service to the Terran Dominion by 2502.Randolph, Grace (w), Nan Kim (p, i). "Newsworthy." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 68-121. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80831-8.April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. Minotaur''s are largely based on the ''Behemoth-class, and have additional laser batteries for a greater volume of fire. In 2503,September 27, 2011. "Timeline." StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 393-416. ISBN 978-1439-10938-0. these warships were suddenly recalled to Korhal IV. They were ordered to abandon their current assignments, disembark passengers and cargo on nearby habitable worlds, and proceed immediately to the Dominion capital to be refitted for interatmospheric combat.Dayton, Cameron. "Broken Wide." (March 5, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Broken Wide Accessed 2010-03-05. The Minotaur-class may be upgraded by a variety of tactical systems. Equipped with a Type-V Yamato cannonBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Maw of the Void (in English). 2010-07-27. and energy shields,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. Minotaur''s can also be equipped with missile pods for use against aerial targets and a defensive matrix.Blizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory upgrades (in English). 2010. The interior of Minotaur battlecruisers are known to feature personal quarters, a brig, a mess hall and a bridge.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Dangerous Game. (in English). 2010. ''Gorgon''-class The Gorgon- class has dimensions of about 560 meters length by 82.4 meters wide, and a crew numbering approximately 8000 people.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. It is larger than the Behemoth-class. Its features include a bridge. Its statistics are as follows: *Power: Class 10 Fusion *Armaments: **16 J23Ship-to-Ship Missile Launchers **25 Crew-Served Batteries **145 Point Defense Systems *Air Wing: Variable *Ground Ordnance: Variable *Shield: Active for Warp and Orbital Insertion *Range: Variable; Standard Equip: Koprulu Sector *In-System Speed: 1 AU per Cycle Other Classes The Starcruiser is an advanced battlecruiser prototype sold by Crazy Bob's Bazaar.2001-18-04, Bazaar. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-04-04 By 2504, the Loki was undergoing testing at Valhalla.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Engine of Destruction (in English). 2010-07-27. A prototype, it was deemed a "super-battlecruiser."Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 (Play Guide blurbs) Game Unit StarCraft : For StarCraft gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft). : For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft Battlecruiser Quotations. StarCraft: Ghost with a battlecruiser overhead]] In StarCraft: Ghost, the battlecruiser acted as a support unit for Nova. Through targeting, the player could call down a Yamato Cannon strike that dealt damage to all objects in an area.GameSpot Accessed: May 22, 2008. StarCraft II : For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft II). : For StarCraft II in-game quotations see: StarCraft II Battlecruiser Quotations. Known Battlecruisers :Main article: List of battlecruisers ''Leviathan''-class *''Merrimack'' (converted prison ship) *''Thunder Child'' ''Behemoth''-class *''Bismarck'' *''Gray Tiger'' *''Hephaestus'' *''Huey Long'' *''Hyperion'' *''Iron Fist'' *''Jackson V'' *''Napoleon'' *''Ragnorak'' *''Theodore G. Bilbo'' ''Norad''-series *''Norad II'' *''Norad III'' ''Minotaur''-class *''Emperor's Fury'' *''Helios'' *''Victory'' ''Gorgon''-class *''Bucephalus'' *''White Star'' Other or unknown classes *''Aeneas *''Aleksander'' (UED flagship) *''Amphitirite'' *''Antigone'' *''Eos'' *''Herakles'' *''Hurricane'' *''Iron Justice'' *''Jackson's Revenge'' *''The Kimera'' *''Kimeran Juggernaut'' *''Loki'' (Super-class) *''Meleager'' *''Metis'' *''Palatine'' *''Patroclues'' *''Tahoe'' Known Battlecruiser Commanders *Admiral Gerard DuGalle *General Edmund Duke *General Arcturus Mengsk *General Horace Warfield *Commodore Georg Darabont *Captain Bolshev *Captain Buzan *Captain Alexander Davidoff *Captain Robert Mason *Captain Roger Merriman *Captain Jim Raynor *Captain Rourke *Captain Elias Tudbury *Captain Everett Vaughan *Colonel Jackson Hauler *Commander Hale *Commander Haley *Major Tom Hawkins *Major Spaulding *Lieutenant Matt Horner *El Kang the Quixotic Notes ]] *Most battlecruiser classes share their designations from various mythologies—the Leviathan and Behemoth are of the Bible, while Hercules. the Minotaur and the Gorgon stem from Greek mythology. *A ''Behemoth-class battlecruiser was stated as being two "leagues" long in StarCraft: Uprising. Most league measurements would have put the battlecruiser as over 9 km in length. However, the Bucephalus, a Gorgon model, measured 560 meters long, a significantly shorter measurement.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010. In addition, the Bucephalus is explicitly stated as being larger than the Hyperion in other media. There is no indication that Gorgon battlecruisers are significantly different in size than Behemoths, so this article treats the league measurement as an error. *"Super-battlecruisers" are designated as such, without the "class" designation. This may be indicative of an different type of ship altogether. However, it has been listed on this page to avoid a stub article. *The Gorgon-class battlecruiser is named in Heart of the Swarm beta files, listed as a "Gorgon Cruiser/Battlecruiser Giant." The Bucephalus was confirmed as one in StarCraft II: Flashpoint. *Mega Bloks plans to make 3,000 battlecruiser models as part of its StarCraft toyline. A poll has been opened as to which model(s) fans would like to see them represent.2011-11-09, StarCraft II Limited Edition Mega Bloks Battlecruiser Video. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2011-11-19 References Category:Terran starship classes Category:StarCraft: Ghost Terran units